Food Options at New Yankee Stadium

A press release we just received touts the food choices at the new Yankee Stadium and makes much of the fact that 70 percent of the concession areas there will have the ability to cook on site.

One of the most unique characteristics of the Stadium, and an example of the Yankees’ commitment to serve "Fresh-To-Order," is a window found in the left-field concourse of the Field Level where fans can see butchers from Lobel’s of New York preparing prime, dry-aged steaks to be served in various locations in the Stadium. Fresh Lobel’s steak sandwiches will be sold on a cart outside this location.

While that's all well and good, the full list of food products and vendors (read the full press release after the jump) is a huge disappointment. Among the "traditional favorites" are the same ol' things we saw at the old park; the debuts include such mall food-court fare as Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, Dunkin' Donuts coffee, Johnny Rockets burgers, Brother Jimmy's BBQ, and "Boar's Head made-to-order" deli sandwich stands.

Yawn. I'm falling asleep in the bleachers here.

With the new Mets ballpark bringing the noise with the Shake Shack and Blue Smoke and a Danny Meyer–run taqueria and Belgian fries stand, the Yanks have lost this nosh pennant before the season has even begun.

Take me out to the ballgame? No, thanks.

YANKEES AND LEGENDS HOSPITALITY TO DEBUT NEW GENERAL CONCESSIONS LINEUP IN YANKEE STADIUM; FOCUS PLACED ON QUALITY, CONVENIENCE, VARIETY AND VALUE

THE NEW YORK YANKEES announced today their new general concessions lineup for the 2009 season. Led by Legends Hospitality, the exclusive provider of concessions, catering and merchandising services at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees are committed to bringing quality, convenience, variety, and value to fans in the inaugural season of Yankee Stadium.

ValueBeginning this season, the Yankees are implementing a "Fresh-To-Order" system, which will provide fans with the freshest and hottest possible food.

Approximately 70% of the newly constructed concession areas in Yankee Stadium will have cooking capability – almost twice the 40% standard for new ballpark construction and five times the 14% that existed in the original Yankee Stadium. This capability will allow the Yankees to drastically reduce the amount of pre-wrapped food throughout the Stadium.

One of the most unique characteristics of the Stadium, and an example of the Yankees’ commitment to serve "Fresh-To-Order," is a window found in the left-field concourse of the Field Level where fans can see butchers from Lobel’s of New York preparing prime, dry-aged steaks to be served in various locations in the Stadium. Fresh Lobel’s steak sandwiches will be sold on a cart outside this location.

ConvenienceConcessions have been designed with the fan in mind. With 25 permanent concessions stands and 112 portable locations, lines will be shorter and fans can return sooner to their seats to enjoy the game. The point-of-sale ratio for fans has increased by over 50% from the original Stadium. Moreover, no matter where fans are in the Stadium, they will be able to keep in touch with the game. Open concourses throughout the Stadium will allow continuous viewing of the action on the field while at concession stands. Further, hundreds of state-of-the-art high-definition video monitors placed at concession stands and in dining areas will carry the live broadcast of the game. Credit cards (Mastercard, American Express and Visa) will be accepted at all stands and, for the first time, at all carts. Great locations to purchase food and drink include the Food Court on the third-base side of the Field Level, the Main Level Beer Garden and the Bleachers Café in center field.

VarietyFans visiting Yankee Stadium will immediately notice the increased range of options, with something for every taste from traditional favorites to New York’s best foods making their Stadium debut, along with new cuisine, healthy alternatives and child-friendly options.

Traditional Favorites

Bazzini nuts

Carl’s Steaks

Carvel Ice Cream

Cracker Jack

Famous Famiglia Pizza

French’s Mustard

Hebrew National

Heinz Ketchup

Mike’s Arthur Avenue Italian Deli, featuring zeppoli and antipasto

Nathan’s Famous, serving hot dogs in natural casing

New York Pretzel

Premio Sausage, serving grilled coiled sausages

Poland Spring Water

Tyson chicken

Utz Potato Chips

Stadium Debuts

Boar’s Head made-to-order deli sandwich stand, including soups and salads

Brother Jimmy’s BBQ

Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee

Highlanders traditional ballpark food with a New York flair, including hot dogs with sauerkraut and "pushcart" onions

Kids Cart with school-lunch favorites and smaller-portion items, such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, milk, small hot dogs and Kozy Shack Pudding

Value
The Yankees continue to offer exceptional value on food and merchandise. They are offering a $3 hot dog, a $3 soft drink and a $6 beer. Traditional Stadium fare, such as hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, sausages and Cracker Jack, remain the same price as last season. New sizes of soda, many including a souvenir cup, are offered at a variety of prices. In addition, a Family Value Line of merchandise has been created with low-priced items, including pennants, Yankees T-shirts, key chains, and more.

Full-Service Dining
Stadium attendees and the general public will have the opportunity to enjoy full-service dining at restaurants in Yankee Stadium all year long. The Hard Rock Cafe and NYY Steak will provide upscale alternatives to Stadium concessions and exciting new dining options for the neighborhood with entrances both inside the Stadium and at street level. The Hard Rock Cafe, located at Gate 6 on the corner of 161st Street and River Avenue, will house memorabilia from top artists with an emphasis on New York talent. NYY Steak located above the Hard Rock Cafe, will offer a first-class dining experience with a menu featuring USDA prime dry-aged beef, fresh seafood and an extensive wine list.

Neighborhood Outreach
The Yankees want to ensure that the local Bronx community and the greater New York metropolitan area are positively affected by as many aspects of the new Stadium project as possible. To that end, the Yankees are proud to have hired approximately 4,000 union workers to staff concessions in the Stadium throughout the season, with approximately 2,500 individuals working on any given game day. Additionally, the Yankees will continue their policy of donating leftover edible food to those in need, this year working with the Rock and Wrap It Up program and the Food Bank of New York, which will work together in picking up food from the Stadium and delivering it to shelters, soup kitchens, senior centers, youth programs and other emergency and community food programs throughout the Bronx.

Green Initiatives
Concession operations incorporate the eco-friendly initiatives found throughout the facility. The Yankees Sustainability Facility Program ensures the efficiency of all equipment while focusing on energy reduction. Beverage cups in the Stadium are made of biodegradable material instead of petroleum-based plastics, and the Yankees are committed to purchasing paper products that are 100% recyclable. By composting and recycling cardboard, glass, metal, plastics and paper, approximately 40% of the Stadium’s trash should be diverted away from landfills, resulting in fewer trash pickups.

Gate Openings
Yankee Stadium concessions will begin serving food when Stadium gates open, approximately three hours prior to the scheduled start times of games. Gates will open at 10:00 a.m. for games with a 1:05 p.m. scheduled start time, at 1:00 p.m. for 4:10 p.m. starts, at 4:00 p.m. for 7:05 p.m. starts, and at 5:00 p.m. for 8:05 p.m. starts.

About Legends Hospitality, LLC
Legends Hospitality LLC, is a premier provider of hospitality and merchandising services for a growing list of clients. The company is a joint venture between the New York Yankees Baseball Club, the Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Goldman Sachs and CIC Partners. Headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, Legends operates, promotes and develops a broad range of catering, concessions, retail merchandising and other facility management services for sports, entertainment and recreational facilities.

Adam Kuban is the proprietor of the pop-up Margot's Pizza, which serves bar-style pizza. But you may also know him as the founder of Slice (RIP, 2003–2014) where he has written thousands of blog posts about pizza. He also created A Hamburger Today and served as Serious Eats's founding editor (2006–2010) after having sold those sites to SE.

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